What is the balance of power, and how effective is it in preventing war?

What is the balance of power, and how effective is it in preventing war?

1. What is the balance of power?

   • Even distribution of power between rival blocs
   • An inherent tendency in international affairs to produce an even distribution of power
   • Cold War bipolarity
     • relies on an equilibruim between two poles - USSR and USA

2. Realists

   • War is avoided
     • Prevents triumph of dominant power
       • No Total War since WW2
     • MAD - attack would be unsuccessful

3. Liberals

   • Legitimises state egoism
     • States compete to become the hegemon
   • Fosters military growth
     • Nuclear Arms Race
       • Lead to Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 Even other states began to stockpile nuclear weapons - though none on a scale similar to the superpowers. 
   • Proxy War
     • Just because no direct action took place, wars were fought via proxy - Afghanistan (US funded Mujahideen to fight Soviet-led Afghans) and Vietnam (North Vietnam - USSR and South Vietnam - US)
     • Absense of Total War could have been luck